Ode to Joy
by Sakura the Cookie Monster
Summary: Setsuna spends a night at a fancy restaurant with a stranger. A minor SM-WK crossover fic.


TITLE: Ode to Joy  
  
AUTHOR: Sakura the Cookie Monster  
  
RATING: R  
  
DISCLAIMER: Standard disclaimers apply.  
  
WARNING: This is a Sailor Moon/Weiss Kreuz crossover fic. This is fair warning here. If you don't like crossovers, then exit. I am not going to tolerate idiots that don't read the warnings. If you don't like, don't read. Thank you.  
  
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It was a beautiful night to celebrate New Years' Eve. For once, I'm not celebrating with Haruka and Michiru at one of those underground clubs where the only thing they play is music done by grown men dressed up as women. Nor am I celebrating it with a bunch of hyperactive seventeen-year- old girls and a guy that always gives the impression that he would rather celebrate it alone than be there with his girlfriend and her drunken friends.  
  
Alone. There were several meanings to that word when I looked it up in elementary school. My personal favorite was this: Considered separately from all others in the same class. Which is certainly why I am here, dining in the most expensive restaurant in town alone. No one is worthy of my company tonight.  
  
"A toast to me for another year, still alive," I say to myself as I take a sip of the finest red wine in town. This particular bottle of wine that I'm drinking came from 1962 and was made in Spain. It is truly such a delicious and sophisticated taste for me. Listening to the greatest composers of all time, having their compositions played for the world to hear. I have a nice view of the ocean from here, at my secluded spot near the window.  
  
It really isn't so bad being alone tonight.  
  
"Excuse me, but this is courtesy of the gentleman sitting at the bar," the waiter says, interrupting my thoughts. He was holding a wine bottle in his hand. In his hands was a wine bottle, circa 1962. It was the same wine I was drinking. A whole bottle of wine to myself. It sounds like a brilliant idea. But, something about drinking a whole bottle of wine by myself sounds uncomfortable in someway. Maybe I'm overdue for a little tender, loving care? I really don't know at this point. Maybe a little company wouldn't hurt. As long as it wasn't anyone I already know.  
  
"Tell the gentleman that this lady does not drink wine as fine as this, alone," I say, twirling my finger across the glass. So, I watch the waiter carefully to see which gentleman he was referring to. Unfortunately, this restaurant tends to attract rich, old men that only want trophy wives.  
  
But, it turns out that the gentleman that sent the wine to me was rather handsome and young, with wavy honey brown hair and jade green eyes. He was dressed in a rather nice tuxedo that seemed to have been tailored for him. That's the trouble with being a guardian of time. Every young man you see ends up being like a baby in your eyes. Especially if you have been one for as long as I have been.  
  
He walks towards me now, smiling all the while. He must be glad that I didn't turn him down on his offer for the wine. He's holding the bottle of wine in one hand and a champagne glass for himself in the other. He looked exquisite in that black tuxedo, which really made his hair stand out. I feel like a schoolgirl, staring at this man.  
  
"Hi. I saw you sitting here, alone, thinking that no lady as beautiful as yourself should be lonely on such a joyous occasion," he said, sounding all suave and cool, trying to impress me. He needs not to. I look at his hands. No wedding ring in sight. Though, I don't think that he'll ever have one, when it comes to his profession. And if you're wondering how I know that, it's one of the fringe benefits of being a guardian of time.  
  
The waiter comes by and opens the bottle of wine for us, pouring my guest a glass and refilling my own. I take a small sip, enjoying the bubbly taste of this delicious red wine.  
  
"Do you come by here often?", my guest asks me.  
  
"Not as often as I would like. This place serves some of the best wine in town. And I love the music that plays here a lot. I can never enjoy such classic music. The music truly makes me feel my real age," I say, with sophisticated bitterness while sounding wispy and delicate. I hate it when I sound like a weak and delicate object for men to shield and protect.  
  
My eyes gaze at the candelabra and the slim, creamy white candles held by the wonderful object. This place was built after World War II and was decorated with lots of chandeliers made of brass and tables made of fine maple wood. It truly was an elegant place for those with enough money to afford the service.  
  
"You can't be any more older than me, Miss."  
  
"Looks can be deceiving."  
  
"How rude of me. I haven't introduced myself. My name is Youji Kudou. And you are?"  
  
"Setsuna Meioh. Tell me something, Youji. Why did you come here tonight?"  
  
"I suppose that I'm here for the same reasons that you might be here."  
  
"And that is?"  
  
"That you're here to escape the everyday, normal, and boring part of life. Otherwise, you would be celebrating with your friends."  
  
"I can say the same thing to you as well."  
  
I smile as I take another sip. This Youji was more intuitive than I thought. For once, I was hoping for an idiot. Looks can truly be deceiving. The fact that he managed to surprise me is really a total shock to me. Nobody has surprised me in over a thousand years. The last person that did was Prince Endymion. That man was too good to be true. Too bad it was too good to be true. I always seem to have the worst of luck when it comes to men.  
  
Hopefully, tonight will be the exception to that bad luck. And, to be as bluntly honest, I haven't had sex since the Declaration of Independence was signed. That's about two-hundred years of sexual frustration in the Gates of Time. So, the fact that I'm picky about my choice of men was another cause of my sexual frustration.  
  
"Shall we dance?", he asks me, extending his hand out with a smile on his face.  
  
I place my hand on his as he guides me to the dance floor. There were no words needed now. Once we were on the dance floor, we danced throughout the rest of the night. I probably had a blush, caused by intoxication, on my face. Dancing in strappy high heels with stiletto heels was a bit difficult, but I didn't mind at all. And, he happened to have been a terrific dancer. We looked like long, lost lovers reunited because we were so in sync with each other's moves and knew exactly what the other was about to do next. Or at least, it felt that way.  
  
Midnight struck on the large grandfather clock and Beethoven's Ode to Joy played as we kissed, his left hand holding my right. Just searching for the ultimate form of unity and the cure to loneliness. My hands were aching a little because he was squeezing my hands too tightly. There were no screams, no shouts for joy. Just a silent and cool cheer of "Happy New Year" as everyone started dancing or leaving to retire to bed early.  
  
All too soon, the song ended and I felt sleepy. I wish this didn't have to end. Before I could think clearly, I ask him, "Do you want to come to my place?"  
  
He smiles at me before kissing my forehead and says, "I never turn down an offer like that."  
  
So, we quickly paid the bill and were now on our way to my apartment. I find it a relief that he had a car. Haruka and Michiru dropped me off here before they headed to whatever place they were going that night. Too bad that our libidos made it impossible for us to make it to my apartment.  
  
We ended up stopping in some parking lot due to our impatience and the fact that we were both slightly intoxicated. Besides, it was a new experience for me to have sex in the back of a car on impulse when I never follow my impulses. Though, we were interrupted when he received a phone call.  
  
"Damn it!", Youji shouted, looking at his cell phone before flipping it open and answering the call. "This better be an emergency."  
  
From the look on his face, he looked annoyed that he was called for something that, to him, was something he didn't want to do, especially on New Years' Eve. I kiss his fingertips, reveling on hands as tainted as his can still be soft and gentle too. He glances at me with a wistful, yet depressing smile upon his face.  
  
He hangs up his cell-phone, looking at me with regret.  
  
"I'm sorry, Setsuna, but something just came up. I think that we're going to have to cut this short," he says, kissing my cheek and twirling his fingers in my hair. One of my dress straps was dangling off my shoulder and my high heels were off my feet and on the car floor. Plus, my makeup was a bit smeared. But, I wasn't the only one that looked like I was thrown into a dryer. Youji had lipstick all over his face and his shirt collar and I accidentally broke a couple of the buttons on his shirt.  
  
"It's alright," I say to him, biting my lip to not say anything offensive. He gets in the driver while I stay in the back seat, placing my high heels on and trying to straighten myself up so that I can walk into my penthouse without looking like something that a cat would drag in.  
  
It was only moments later that we arrived at my penthouse. He gets out of the car, most likely to escort me to my penthouse. He pulls out a flower from his jacket, smiling all the while.  
  
"A cattleya, for one that deserves to have a good time. And here is my phone number. Call me tomorrow and we'll finish what we started," he says as he places his card in my hand.  
  
I smile back and give him one final kiss.  
  
"Thank you," I whisper in his ear, before entering the apartment complex.  
  
As soon as I step into the elevator, I look at my pocket watch in my purse. It was 12:55:am. My New Years' Eve was certainly a lot better this year than it was the last. And, there was the promise of another temporary lover in this year.  
  
I enter my apartment and pull out a small vase, fill it with water, and place the cattleya in it. It was such a beautiful flower. But, now is the time to sleep off the alcohol and tomorrow, I'll call him and we'll finish what we started. Tomorrow's going to be a great day. That's if I manage to avoid the senshi tomorrow, for World War III is going to begin as soon as Usagi finds out the truth.  
  
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AUTHOR'S NOTES: This story takes place during "The Snitch" and was written in annoyance of most of the Sailor Moon/Weiss Kreuz crossovers that I've found on FF.net. Credit goes to Papirini-chan for the suggestion of using "Ode to Joy" at midnight and for the title of the fic. 


End file.
